Removable roof for the cockpits of aircraft



1938- R. SAULNIER 2,125,752

REMOVABLE ROOF FOR THE COCKPITS OF AIRCRAFT Filed Dec. 28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 2, 1938. I SAULNIER 2,125,752

REMOVABLE ROOF FOR THE COCKPITS OF AIRCRAFT Filed Dec. 28, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 2, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Raymond S aulnier, Paris, France Application December 28,1936, Serial No. 117,946 In' France December 2'1, 1935 7 Claims.

(Granted under the provisions of sec. 14, act of March 2, 1927; 357 G.

in removable roofs covering the cockpit of an airplane pilot. The roof according to the present invention is intended to be opened normally 5 through a sliding displacement and can further,

in case of accident or in case of need, be wholly and immediatelydetached from the body of the airplane.

This arrangement enables the pilot, in case of danger, to immediately get rid of his roof, in order, fol-instance, to be ableto jump with his parachute.

The device according to the present invention is essentially constituted by a frame connected 15 in a detachable manner with two carriages adapted to slide along rails fixed to the sides of the fuselage, these carriages being adapted to be operated from the inside of the airplane by the pilot. This frame carries the roof and the two lateral panels. The whole normally slides along the rails through the carriages. The device is completed by means for permitting the pilot, by a mere operation performed from the inside of the airplane, to release the frame from the 25 carriages by which it is carried.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafter described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, given merely by way of example, and in which:

30 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the system, the

removable roof being detached from the airplane cockpit;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the roof fixed to its carriages and partly moved in a back- 35 1 ward direction;

Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views showing details of the device serving to the fixation of the roof.

As shown by Fig. 1, the detachable roof I is made of a frame, consisting of bent pieces 2 and 3, connected together by upper members 4 and 5 and the lower members .9 and Ill. The roof proper is fixed to the upper members 4 and 5, this roof being advantageously made of a 45 translucent material. The two lateral panels I and 8 are made of a translucent or transparent material fixed to bent pieces 2 and 3 and to upper and lower members 4 and 5, and 9 and Ill, respectively.

50 The lower members 9 and I [I carry fixation members H, in the form of rings provided with a radial slot 22 (Fig. 6), which serve to connect and secure the detachable roof to carriages i2 and I! through spindles l4, rigid with rods I5.

55 Under normal conditions, members H are in position in the space between lugs 16 rigid with the carriages, and said members II are fixed in this position by spindles I.

when bell-crank lever I1 is operated by means of control member 34, through cables iii, the branch I 9 of this lever moves in a forward direction and drives rods in the same direction through the medium of pieces 20.

In this movement, the whole of rods l5 moves in a forward direction and spindle It leaves the 10 space between lugs I6. Rod 2| is located now opposite the slot 22 of member II and the removable roof can be separated from the carriages and got rid of when it is pushed upwardly.

The whole of the mechanism is kept in this 15 position by finger 23. Said finger has been acted upon by branch of lever I! in the course of the forward movement of rods l5. But as soon as it comes opposite notch 24, said finger is moved back downwardly by its return spring and drops into the notch 24 of piece 20, thus preventing the latter from moving backwardly and spindle M from coming back into the space located between lugs l6. Thus, once the operation has been performed, the pilot can release 25 control member 34 without the mechanism coming back to its initial position.

When the roof is in the normal position, in which the frame is secured to carriages l2, l3, rods I5 are in their rear positions and members II are locked on spindles M, in such manner as to assemble all the elements together, the whole being kept in the closed position by spring 28. This position is shown in Fig. 3, corresponding to the fixation of the roof to the carriages as shown by Fig. 2.

In this position, the roof is allowed to slide, as above explained, while remaining assembled with carriages l2, [3, along rails 21, fixed to the longitudinal members of the fuselage.

Carriages l2 are, for this purpose, provided with rollers 28 which roll along rails 21. The movements of the carriages are controlled through racks 29, provided on the carriages, and toothed wheels 30 acting on said racks and operated by the pilot through crank 3|, acting through the medium of rod 32 on a small rack 33 in mesh with a small pinion which is not visible on the drawings but which is keyed on the spindle of toothed wheel 30.

It will be readily understood that, with such an arrangement, when the pilot rotates crank 3|, he produces a sliding displacement of the whole and of the movable roof along the rails and therefore along the fuselage.

The sliding displacement corresponds to the normal opening and closing movements 0! the root.

When, in flight, the pilot wishes to get rid oi his root, for instance in order to iump with his parachute, he operates, in the manner above described. the control member 34 located at the upper front part of the cockpit. This member acts, through cables II, on bell-crank lever II the arm I. of which drives piece 20 in a frontward direction. said piece 2| being rigid with rods II. In the course 01' this irontward movement, finger 28 is rotated, while pulling its return spring 2|, whereas spindle ll leaves the space existing between lugs II and therefore releases member II, which can escape owing to the provision of slot 22 therein, said slot being adapted to accommodate rod 2 I In this movement, after having moved away. finger 13, under the action of its return spring 25, drops into notch 24 and keeps the system in the forward position.

fixation members Ii carried by the roof structure being thus released from rods 21 carried by the carriages, the whole of the root can now be lifted and driven away by the action of the wind.

Therefore, it will be readily understood that, with the device according to the present invention, the sliding root is so devised that the opening and closing displacements thereof are controlled by the pilot from the insidethrough a mere crank. This arrangement ensures the normal closing and opening of the root.

on the other hand, when the pilot wants to quickly get ridot his roof, it suflices for him to pull member 34. This movement instantaneously and definitively detaches the roof from the carriages. Thus, during night, it suflices for the pilot to slightly lift the roof and the latter is driven oil by the action of the wind.

In a general manner, while I have, in the above description, disclosed what I deem to be a practical and eflicient embodiment of the present invention, it should'be well understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as there-might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with an aircraft having a cockpit, a roof normally slidable above said cockpi and capable of being operated when in flight, means operative from the inside of said cockpit ior displacing said roof, said roof being detachable instantaneously from said airplane, and means, operative from the inside of said cockpit, for detaching said root from said airplane.

2. In combination with an airplane having a cockpit, a roof for said cockpit, a support for said root slidable with respect to said cockpit, means operative from the inside of said cockpit for controlling the movements ofsaid support with respect to said cockpit, means for detachably securing said support and said roof together,

and means operative from the inside of said cockpit tor instantaneously releasing said securing means.

3. In combination with an airplane having a body provided with a cockpit, a root for said cockpit, two carriages for supporting said not slidable with respect to said body on either side of said cockpit, means operative from the inside of said cockpit for controlling the sliding displacements of said carriages with respect to said cockpit, means for detachably securing said root to said carriages, and means operative from the inside of said cockpit for instantaneously bringing said securing means out of action.

4. In combination with an airplane having a body provided with a cockpit, a roof for said cockpit, two rails extending on either side, respectively, 01' said cockpit, carried by said body in the fore and aft direction of said airplane, two carriages for supporting said roof slidable along said rails, respectively, means operative from the inside of said cockpit for controlling the sliding displacements of said carriages with respect to said rails, registering annular elements carried by said root and said carriages respectively, in coaxial relation, pins adapted to engage in all of said annular elements for securing said root to said carriages, and means, operative from the inside of said cockpit, for moving said pins out 'irom at least one of said cooperating annular elements whereby said roof is detached from said carriages.

' 5. A combination according to claim 4 in which each or the annular elements carried by said carriages consists of two ring-shaped lugs having their common axis parallel to the fore and aft direction of the airplane, said lugs being located at a distance from each other, the cooperating element of the root being adapted to flt between said lugs and being provided with an axial slot of a size adapted to accommodate a part of reduced diameter of said pin.

6. In combination with an aircraft having a space for pilot or passengers, a closing element for said space normally slidable with respect to said space in a fore and aft direction, capable of being operated when in flight, means operative from the inside of said space for displacing said closing element, said closing element being dctachable instantaneously from said aircraft, and means, operative from the inside of said space, for detaching said closing element from said aircraft.

7. In combination with an aircraft having a space for pilot or passengers, a closing element for said space, a support for said closing element slidable with respect to said space in a fore and aft direction, means operative from the inside of said space for controlling the movements of said support with respect to said space, means for detachably securing said support and said closing element together, and means operative from the inside of said space for instantaneously releasing said securing means.

RAYMOND SAULNIER. 

